Akira (1988) Anime Review - Rental Reviews

This video was sponsored by Skillshare. The first 500 people to sign up via my link will get two FREE months of Skillshare Premium: skl.sh/cinemassacre5
This week James and the gang step into the world of anime with Akira (1988). A film responsible for a lot peoples introduction to anime. It also takes place in 2019. Ryan stops by to give his input. See what they all have to say about this Japanese animated classic.
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#Akira #RentalReviews #Cinemassacre

[@JamesNintendoNerd]

This video was sponsored by Skillshare. The first 500 people to sign up via my link will get two FREE months of Skillshare Premium: skl.sh/cinemassacre5

[@swoli6-11]

Legend

[@gabe170]

Was praying you would review this master piece one day

[@adamhenry6793]

Do the Game Boy for AVGN!

[@Angelo_Nekketsu._ZenaX]

Cinemassacre I love your video

[@johnnihil1689]

The anime that started it all for me. I love AKIRA. it's up there with Berserk, Paprika, Ghost In The Shell, Hellsing Ultimate, Another, Corpse Party, Claymore, Ninja Scroll, Wicked City, Vampire Hunter D, etc. In fact, AKIRA isn't just an anime, it is the essential anime.

[@BinaryDood]

The reason Tetsuo became a big monster is because his powers were so big that, like physics dictate, energy requires a bigger mass, so it absorbs everything around him, like an amoeba. The manga is a lot more understandable but through metaphor you can still feel the themes of rebellion, creation, destruction and power in this movie.

[@richardjared960]

Rodeen so not being able to control his powers equals giant gore baby? 😂

[@worsel555]

I love the manga and make my friends read it. "I saw the movie, I am good." READ THIS NOW! *time passes* "Holy crap! The movie ends in the second book but it keeps going!?" Yep, and Tokyo get's blown up a couple more times...

[@DJPach]

I remember getting high and watching this with a coworker and telling him that Tetsuo's problem was that he chose the wrong color.

[@allloren7277]

He literally becomes God

[@Hulian-fn7xj]

@@richardjared960 the baby was symbolic of his mental state, Tetsuo has always been a sensitive kid trying to live up to the level of coolness of his friend Kaneda, and when he finally gets that power to be above him, his resentment for Kaneda putting him down all his life grows, corrupting him into a savage, invincible monster, but when that power becomes too much to handle, the facade crumbles, and he reverts back to what he was before: a scared child

[@JamesNintendoNerd]

Trying out an Anime for the first time on Rental Reviews. Got any other recommendations?

[@salvadordesouza9697]

Also paprika

[@sgg422]

ninja scroll

[@parzival9586]

Can you do bumblebee movie 2018

[@icybird870]

Ninja scroll

[@alexl.4362]

Dragon Ball Z and Saint Seiya.

[@taavetti80]

I was surprised that a movie fan like James hadn’t seen Akira before.

[@ASR-Ansori]

Probably because, in spite of its legacy, it's an animated Japanese film which normally doesn't get a lot of people talking unless they're in the anime community or they're made by Miyazaki.

[@punchtothegut]

he's always been more of a western fan. sure he liked godzilla, but he's never been an anime guy

[@surenotejas3163]

@@punchtothegut Domo arigato, Mr Roboto

[@daijme]

He definitely had.

[@bepatientIhaveautism]

Future video series idea: Hentai Reviews with Mike

[@Seanatonin]

That'll be on YouPorn.

[@threadschanged4252]

i'd watch it

[@SumDumGy]

That feels more like a Ryan series.

[@GoldenPickaxe]

ft. CinemaSnob

[@dredwick]

says the guy hard up on Mike's hard up.

[@GamePlayMetal]

The animation in Akira is absolutely insane. Some of the best 2D ever made.

[@thatonea-hole]

*D E F I N I T E L Y!!!!*

[@_..--]

Shame the story wasn't finished since they dumbed the story down.. I would put Jin Roh above Akira when it comes to quality animation.

[@poposterous236]

If you would like to see the most ambitious animation ever made, but remains unreleased do to studio fuckery, check out The Thief and the Cobbler. It's 24fps animation as opposed to 12 and it really shows. Also takes twice as long per second to animate, making it twice as expensive.

[@kameha64]

@GamePlayMetal Akira & Neon Genesis are probably the best animation out there today!

[@ExorcistX999]

Check out Redline. This beautiful movie is almost entirely hand drawn and took 7 years to make. I'd say it beats out even Akira in terms of sheer animation quality

[@FallenOne3]

The elevator of Akira is also in Half Life

[@yogkaiser2641]

and TMNT The Arcade Game (the ACTUAL arcade game) on the last stage.

[@nilesknives6484]

Metal Gear Solid.

[@smicapro]

Yall do know that that's just called a elevator right? Not exclusive to akira just a regular elevator

[@auggie8958]

@@smicapro not really, it doesn't exist in real life

[@yugen]

Also in Star Citizen. Lorville, the city on the planet Hurston.

[@crunchydinkens2824]

"AKIRA IS THE BEST ANIME MOVIE OF ALL TIME!" - KANYE WEST.... no... he literally said that

[@vmbo]

He has a music video based on Akira

[@dunningdunning4711]

Woah, I actually agree with Kanye West on something.

[@rodriga1985]

He's not wrong.

[@lockecole6220]

Wow kanye's cultured..

[@maosama3695]

You know what I dislike Kanye West as little less now.

[@datrulz12]

James wheres my cowboy bebop series review

[@AndyKusanagi86]

YES please!!!

[@sporeham1674]

YES

[@Fuckaue]

Indeed

[@kris_0520]

noice

[@BennyFlaco]

Yessss

[@caliztar]

Disappointed you didn't mention that in Akira, the Olympics is taking place in Tokyo in 2020. And now.. the Olympics is taking place in Tokyo.. 2020.. Unless I completely missed it.

[@tiaxanderson9725]

Yes, you missed it. It's now 2021, sorry bro. Better luck next time ;p Edit, I accidentally a word

[@steakcrust558]

somebody set us up the bomb

[@bradpaton3927]

That's either creepy or Akira really IS a big deal in Japan.

[@SvobodovaEva]

@@bradpaton3927 Not really, since there aren't that many cities that have the infrastructure to host the Olympic games.

[@bradpaton3927]

Mad Atheist, enough, apparently.

[@wstine79]

Tetsuo is teaching a class in Skillshare on how to use psychic powers.

[@Brando_Broshi]

"What is this? A science classroom?"

[@zw246]

......I wouldn’t recommend taking it

[@bevrosity]

is akira teaching one too? id rather be in his class tbh

[@why2k87]

I read the manga and basically, every volume it gets twice as insane

[@sporeham1674]

Turtle herder77 the manga and movie essentially have totally different stories. In fact the movie was made while the manga was in like, issue 2-3.

[@why2k87]

@@sporeham1674 it's not totally different the plot is just simplified to fit into a movie

[@Nyerguds]

@@sporeham1674 Not exactly. They start the same, but the last volumes weren't made yet when the movie was made. And the movie, in turn, inspired a bunch of details used in the continuation of the manga.

[@Mostergreta]

Fun fact. in the books, Akira lives and is the main plot

[@worsel555]

When I picked up the complete manga about 20 yrs ago I was shocked at how much story was there and what didn't and could't make it into the movie for time. The movie literally ends around the second volume and there are 4 more to go.

[@Misa_Susaki]

@OraOra Andrew but that doesnt kill him

[@dogwaterjoe3783]

@@worsel555 actually the manga wasn't even finished when the movie was being made. The creator Katsuhiro Otomo made both. He knew how the manga was gonna end but there was no way you could fit all of the details into one movie so he shrunk it down. The movie takes place in the spand of like a week where the manga is like a few years. I heard he'll be making an Akira anime series to be more accurate to the manga.

[@slckb0y65]

this movie along with GITS blew my freakin' mind as a kid, and to this day i'm yet to feel anything remotly close in a holywood film. Absolute Master Pieces by any standards not only animation.

[@bENOFFICIALMASSIVE]

Im the same. Saw it literally year 6 and it was from an Asian kid who lent it to my brother on VHS. Great movie!

[@frankdux6930]

Yes absolute masterpieces

[@panikrev175]

Ghost in the Shell and Akira are perfect Anime Feature Films! Cowboy Bebop is also pretty good.

[@devilmikey00]

Yup. They were on all the time late at night on sci-fi in the late 90's. Also, the GITS original movie poster was everywhere back then.

[@mario19885]

Ghost in the Shell was my all-time favorite anime film!!! I’d still keep watching more of it!!

[@refv8]

The reason why is so weird, is because based on the manga, also by Katsuhiro Otomo. The manga is around 2,000 pages and wasn’t even finished by the time the movie came, so a lot of things are left out of the movie. Check the manga, its very good. Also both the manga and then the movie predicted the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

[@kingeddy7966]

Really

[@ninjanizzle]

yea the manga is a masterpiece, it should be considered a must read for anyone who watches the film.

[@SephiMasamune]

I remember they mentioned the 2020 olympics during the council meeting, it's a funny coincidence (or is it...).

[@PepeMetallero]

thank you good sir, i thought it was a 1:1 adaptation. Now i have a reason to visit my local library

[@sabrakt]

The ending in the manga is just as abstract and weird as in the movie, so it actually doesn't explain much more. It's still a must read though as the movie "skips" roughly half of the manga.

[@Deconstruction_Administrator]

... None of them mentioned how Akira had several shades of red CREATED for the movie.

[@Mwak89]

What do you mean by this?

[@allloren7277]

M K They created new colors just for the movie

[@johnpliskin8759]

@Linda Niemkiewicz lol ever been to a paint store

[@BATTOUSAIBEATS]

@Linda Niemkiewicz they mean digitally created more colors, the movie was made in the late 80's and colored movies were still pretty new, I don't think they literally created new colors but ion know lol

[@somethingoriginal1707]

BATTOUSAI BEATS Nope, the majority of Akira was created using traditional cel animation, which makes the whole thing even more impressive.

[@chrisbeiter271]

Since you guys did Akria you should do Ninja Scroll.

[@FinalBaton]

Definitely! I second that!

[@RoninAM]

One of my early favs!

[@stockstreamtwitch]

Hell Yea

[@sepsism138]

^ This.

[@StephNuggs]

"Aaaah Genma!! Burn in your golden hell!! "

[@Halfpipesaur]

17:20 - they also put the elevator 1:1 in the original Half-Life. It's even refered to as 'akira elevator' in the game files

[@YowLife]

Comparing what I know from James, based off of AVGN, Monster Madness, James and Mike etc, I imagine when his friends mention Evangelion and Dragonball Z James is just thinking "What the frigg are these shows?".

[@toastpoppin]

Everyone knows dragonball but eva is a stretch

[@RyderLComics]

Haha yeah.

[@YamatoFukkatsu]

@@toastpoppin I'm sure everyone's at least heard of Dragonball, but what do you think the odds are that he'd be aware of the characters Goku and Vegeta, or that they epitomize a hero and rival trope?

[@zoenicoletv]

Im sure MANY people have requested a (i dont even wanna say the name) review of the "live action" movie. He can't be oblivious.

[@wchan39]

@@zoenicoletv Well, he DID dump it onto Nostalgia Critic...

[@adriangomez9709]

Didn't know James was a fellow japanese language student. That's great!

[@rikosaikawa9024]

So why does he butcher Akira? Is it funny or because people are stupid?

[@wafflekingdor5376]

What did you expect? He is a fan of Godzilla movies.

[@shohmyoh]

@@wafflekingdor5376 I love Akira and I enjoy Godzilla movies.

[@HTRism]

The motorcycle light trails were all drawn by hand frame by frame. Lets just sink our minds on to that.

[@bcsb]

James only watches the hentai for the articles.

[@tunainoil]

Surely, you mean for the kanji? ;)

[@jimmyju76]

For the tentacles you mean

[@sofakingonmynuts1438]

NANI?

[@crashpal]

@@sofakingonmynuts1438 omae wa moe shindeiru

[@zelg.5551]

You've gotta admit that japanese come up with the best titles though. Like "MRA: Violent Semen Inferno".

[@BadMarriageKawagoe]

I'd love to see a Rental Review episode of Heavy Metal

[@vinceklorptoe9020]

please

[@ToastytheG]

Oh yeah

[@jeffmartin540]

YEEEESSSSS!!!

[@daemian2k]

and Starchaser: The Legend of Orin

[@zdoggzero6595]

This

[@Llethander]

Watching these guys standing around talking about the things they're passionate about is a constant reminder of what life could be like with friends... Akira was freaking awesome. And that Akira commercial they showed had a Record of Lodoss War VHS tape. Epic series.

[@youfube-]

If Akira was made today, using same techniques as in 1988, it would probably be so fantastically expensive that it would make any publisher studio shit their pants.

[@RetroDeath]

And it wouldn't look even half as good.

[@Deconstruction_Administrator]

I heard a rumour Akira is getting a live-action adaptation, but the ones doing it are such big fans that they got permission from the original manga artist and had him consulting.

[@emmastrange5557]

@@Deconstruction_Administrator there's been talks of making a new Akira film or TV show for a while now. TV show seems the most likely, which would be great as the story of the manga is way to big for a film.

[@somethingweirds3375]

@@Deconstruction_Administrator They've been attempting to make a live action movie for like 10 years lülz

[@e1622zelda]

They could still do it, It would just use computer assisted coloring instead of each CEL being hand painted. There are still some really talented Animators out there. The budget would actually be lower than back then because of this, or at least in the same ballpark. But yeah if the went back to hand painted everything then oach!!! Loved how it looked though.

[@Xearrik]

You guys should watch Princess Mononoke. The name is throws people off, but it's a freaking masterpiece. Hayao Miyazaki is one of the best animators of all time, and this is my favorite movie of his.

[@JohnRapheal7]

Me to

[@jopejipper3219]

And the dub is highly recommended

[@rsmith02]

That's the Ghibli I started with. Truly amazing film!

[@woldemunster9244]

Makes a grown man cry.

[@thrumugnyr]

As an environmental movie it's so also sooooo good! And the music and the animation and everything.

[@SpaceTreeStudios]

On the topic of the animation, it probably won't surprise you to find out that being animated on 1s and 2s made it a very expensive film to make, so they had to form the Akira committee to make the film, which was a collaboration of about 5 or 6 different companies in order to make the film happen.

[@fireaza]

It's also one of the only Japanese animation where the animation was produced after the voices were recorded.

[@trevor4533]

I watched Akira before Evangelion. I can agree with that sentiment. Akira and EOE are definitely two of my favorite films.

[@Akira2019]

What is AKIRA? Great episode guys.

[@konisaur5454]

AKIRA is a kid who has such immense power that he opened up a different dimension and traveled to it(sorta kinda)

[@RisadaDiabolica]

Cinemassacre talking about anime? Is this an alternate universe or something? O_o

[@angusng816]

No. It's real.

[@yourcordialvermillionchapw2398]

Yeah same here man I'm surprised! XD

[@ObsoleteVodka]

Even if you're not into anime, Akira is a must!

[@ToneDeathStephens]

There's probably tons of stuff (particularly from the 80's and 90's) that's right up his alley, he just doesn't know it yet. Whoever put the Cyber City clip in this video, and the Satoshi Kon recommendations from Justin and the comments will steer him right though.

[@ericng7015]

And also avgn talking about Kingdom Heart, welcome to the twilight zone lol

[@Seanatonin]

They predicted the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

[@ninja3212]

I thought they claimed the spot for the 2020 Olympics because of Akira.

[@luiscarlosqg]

Good, thank you

[@Mi_Fa_Volare]

@@ninja3212 No, but I think the movie is old and iconic enough to have influenced the voters. I definitely would've voted for Japan for the olympics because of the film. I sooo hope they bring Akira soundtracks in the opening and or closing ceremony. That music is awesome.

[@davidmanning2859]

Fun fact: chris nolan for years was attempting to make a akira live action film but couldn't get proper funding. I believe dicaprio was attached at as a possible producer at one point. It would have been interesting to see what would it would have been like.

[@stormengine3261]

That's probably why batman's bike looks similar to Kaneda's in the Dark Knight

[@stormengine3261]

That's probably why batman's bike looks similar to Kaneda's in the Dark Knight

[@juggernaught79]

Akira,Fist of the North Star, MD Geist, Vampire Hunter D and Robotech/Macross got me into anime. The good ol’ days of anime...

[@firstsonofthesea7938]

Trigun

[@triplecrosscounter]

Ashita No Joe, devilman and so on

[@lalehiandeity1649]

There are great newer shows.

[@HighFalutinTootin]

My xgf is D hunter vampire she drains the D like a vamp 😉

[@SmartDumbNerdyCool]

Fist of the North Star has a strange nostalgia

[@alexandersomethingorother786]

KANEDA!! TETSUO!! KANEDA!!!! TETSUO!!!

[@richardjared960]

Alexander SomethingOrOther spongebob !

[@OLDSCHOOL6239]

Yup that's pretty much all you hear in the whole movie LOL! It's still good though.

[@crashpal]

@Cyberdemon Mike mexican food!

[@MexikanPanda]

Doesn’t it bother anyone their incorrect pronunciation even when James has been studying Japanese lol

[@Finnigan28]

It's Kaneda, in Japanese it's compose by 2 of the simplier kanjis: 金田(Kane - money, gold ; da - field)

[@ThumbBros_RunAndPun]

Akira soundtrack is freaking awesome! Love Kaneda's theme!

[@ToneDeathStephens]

It should be used in the Tokyo olympics opening ceremony.

[@RockandGameUSA]

Man I used to own it. LOL!

[@spaceycaveco.698]

I love Mutation

[@Trayxxxx]

James getting into anime.......what a day to be alive. As for recommendations, Goblin Slayer, One Punch Man, Gundam, Dragonball.

[@gabrielloko30000]

"Akira: Makes Blade Runner look like Disneyland" Ohh golly....If Neuromancer was a movie...

[@yugen]

I mean it needs to also be a good movie.

[@ricardofbernardi2]

You forgot to mention the Soundtrack, it's simply amazing on creating the atmosphere (just like Blade Runner)

[@LuckeeStrikee]

Oh yeah, it's one of the best movie soundtracks of all time. The Geinoh Yamashirogumi was an outstanding pick for the film, and I also suggest listening to Ecophony Rinne, the album that convinced Otomo to give them the soundtrack.

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

I listen to the soundtrack weekly

[@daniellado2523]

This movie is an achievement that they were able to contain several volumes of the manga into just one movie. Doing something like that today is completely crazy to do.

[@brucecampbellschin8632]

The Manga was long.

[@butcherax]

Well it basically omits the last three books

[@andrewhussey4538]

@OtherWorlds AllWorldsYeah, you have to understand the movie was made something like 1/2 of the way into the manga, so half the story is basically missing. All that shit after Kaneda, with them riding into an unknown wasteland? Yeah, there's like an entire few issues (and BIG ones, like hundreds of pages) between Kaneda and Tetsuo's fight and the end...it does end on a similar note mind you, but there's a LOT more about the government, what's going on with it, world religions (like that "dude" on the chair declaring "Akira comes! Akira is here!" has whole sections...

[@SuzakuX]

It omits about 2/3rds of the story and most of the characters. The manga is a masterpiece. The film is beautiful, but from a story standpoint is really lacking. There's a whole second half of the manga set after the explosion, in the ruins of Neo Tokyo, which has a real post-apocalyptic Mad Max vibe, with rival psychic factions at war.

[@ManvsMedium]

Brilliant! The intro just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

[@hathorliderc]

Fun fact, Kaneda was originally voiced by Cam Clarke, but in the re-dub of the movie, Kaneda was voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch, who is best known for his role as Adam in Power Rangers.

[@keithrichards8526]

He's also the sixty billion double dollar man.

[@AndyKusanagi86]

JYB is everywhere these days. xP

[@ironpulcinella3586]

I saw him in a panel in anime expo 2015 I think and he yelled TETSUOOOOOOOOO!

[@AndyKusanagi86]

@Timothy Dexter are you sure you're not talking about Dante Basco?

[@notoriousshizzane2696]

@Timothy Dexter it's not JYB, freaked me out but it was someone else

[@rorcknar]

best quote from The movie Tetsuo: KANEDA!

[@keithrichards8526]

Kaneda: TETSUO!!!

[@silencedchaos66]

These are the two best comments.

[@Riplee]

Liquid: SNAKE!

[@nerdgeekman]

Spongebob!

[@saiyantrainer3068]

Series: Cowboy Bebop. Amazing production values and music. Feature Film: Ninja Scroll. Those two along with Evangelion and Akira changed my life! Great vid, as always guys.

[@MemoxWasHere]

Seconding Cowboy Bebop.

[@ninjanizzle]

cowboy bebop also has a brilliant english dub

[@evillchild]

Ninja Scroll 👍👍👍

[@CannibalCowboy51]

Mike's always in the Mommy-Daddy area.

[@JamesNintendoNerd]

I mean, it's my job

[@fat.E]

I'm already watching it lol

[@N1ckD22]

Akira has one of the greatest soundtracks ever.

[@protonicnova]

YES! Akira is probably my favorite movie of all time, so this review was a treat to watch! Be careful going into Evangelion though, if you thought Akira got abstract, then hoo boy... Now you HAVE to do an AVGN review of the Amiga game. I thought it was a huge missed opportunity that you didn't cover that legendarily bad movie tie-in in your Amiga CD32 video, but now's a great opportunity since you just saw the movie!

[@brandonprows]

James, you have to watch 1997's Berserk.

[@mistertagomago7974]

I think the abrupt end would annnoy him.

[@KuroKazukiDubs]

He thought Akira would've scarred him as a child? But I mean both of these films weren't really meant for a child audience as they both do have adult themes. But oh boy that eclipse would show him a thing or two.

[@wesleyfilms]

No. Review 2015 Berserk.

[@gattsuberserk4534]

Yeah buuuuuudddyyy. Would be very interested to know his take on it and I literally just started in on watching it again yesterday.

[@ZitiPatrol]

Not only is this a gateway to anime but it's extremely smart and better than most movies that come out today.

[@crossface5710]

one thing I always found strange was that the film is called akira, instead of Testuo, but akira is only a very minor cameo in the film lol

[@RukixReklats]

He has a bigger role in the Manga

[@traytonvanderecken9329]

I enjoy Akria one all time favorite anime movies.

[@chimeraking5286]

Yeah man I really enjoy playing Kaneda's theme when I ride my bicycle

[@gerardo007puchero4]

Yeah, Akria is really good

[@DeathToTheDictators]

On the whole, I don't enjoy this movie (it's fucking disturbing)...but it's got MANY scenes and cinematography sequences that I admit are just AMAZING.

[@ptahtao1950]

@@DeathToTheDictators very fucking disturbing. The death of kanedas girlfriend traumatized me as a kid lol. But such a good movie

[@YBPaladin]

Trayton Vanderecken But like, the plot is crap

[@Benobot99]

I really hope James watches Neon Genesis Evangelion now, it's incredible! Also, I love how Mike is just outside the room during these, it's so random.

[@lonegrimo6098]

I like it up to the ending the ending confused me.

[@VintageToyGallery]

What's the best way to watch it? When I lived in Japan, my friend kept trying to get me to watch it because he said it was one of the best anime series. Is there any streaming services that have it?

[@RayOfTruth]

The director, Hideaki Anno, also co-directed Shin Godzilla which he really liked.

[@KingsizeKini]

I think Mike does the cameras

[@RaymondStormbl3ssed]

The last 6 episodes is where the shit gets real, real fucking insane I still don't have a clue as to what happened at the end and after watching end of evangelion, I'm even more confused than I was Despite that, I fucking loved it

[@xxAlexanderTheGreatx]

These are great. Hope you guys make a lot more of these rental reviews.

[@XxGyromancerXx]

Akira was ahead of its time. It still holds up quite well.

[@mafeuk]

More anime reviews please. I would like to know what you think about Neon Genesis Evangelion.

[@angusng816]

I would like to see James do a Evangelion review.

[@italianfoodname534]

JoJo

[@RinkuSonic41]

Yeah, now we need evangelion

[@AyanamiRoot2]

We just need to make sure it's the original series for that ultimate mindfuckery

[@bizarreswordsman4389]

Berserk 1997

[@Zeldakostv]

I definitely recommend Wicked City, Fist of the North Star and Ninja Scroll

[@FinalBaton]

All great picks! Including 2 Kawajiri movies. Ninja Scroll is what made me an anime fan. And I adore Fist of the North Star. It's like comfort food for me. Stuff that I binge watch and just forget everything else

[@JeremyKing-el4rf]

My best friend showed me ninja scroll when I was 13. I could not believe this existed. The series is actually really good also.

[@CSLFiero]

I show ninja scroll to anyone on the fence about anime. I always regret it when later i hear their into death note and shonen. Anime should have ended in the 90s.

[@stevengarcia5720]

I would add Vampire Hunter D to that list, not sure if he's covered that yet.

[@Seanatonin]

Which version of Wicked CIty or Fist of the North Star? the animated version or the live action adaptions?

[@stevenchamberlin01]

Also it’s so funny you showed the commercial for that anime set. I totally convinced the parents to join that.

[@HousePlant_Ambient]

Very personal informative opinions, and amazing intro btw. Hope you guys do more anime reviews because this really caught my attention again into anime.

[@Retroid84]

There are two versions of the English dubbed. One of them cast Leonardo from the TMNT cartoons as Kaneda but the one done after that is the best one and actually real good!

[@killergoose7643]

The second dub is better except for the kids.

[@docblunce2978]

I was wondering i tried to show someone this movie but i couldnt finish it because all the words were different. Your explanatikn explains a lot haha

[@BeerdyBruceLeeCentral]

Akira was the movie everyone pretended they had seen so they would seem cool.

[@grongy6122]

Well, to be honest, I've never seen ANY negative reviews for Akira.

[@DSan-kl2yc]

Everyone probably saw it. It was shown a lot for awhile

[@Progearspec]

Most definitely,when i get into anime in the late 80's it was consider weird and out right misunderstood for it's time.Not like today where it's more mainstream.

[@CenturianEagle]

I will add that my dad was involved in movies and stuff, so his friends kids and stuff probably thought the movie was cool because their dads would talk about how cool the movie was and revolutionary etc, I don’t think that many kids from school had seen or heard of it now that I think about it- but there was a few

[@kidthorazine]

@@grongy6122 It gets a lot of mixed to negative reviews from hardcore anime/manga fans. Mainly because it's not a very good adaptation of the manga, which is considered an all time great. For me it fits into the category of "good movie, horrible adaptation" Alongside stuff like V for Vendetta and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.

[@johnschaeffer7008]

If I were to recommend one anime series to anyone it would have to be cowboy bebop. More than evangelion.

[@AnamanaguchiWAT]

yeah Eva is definetly less accessible

[@tymonritco8578]

100% agree

[@Nice_G]

Yeah the English dub is preferable.

[@sofakingonmynuts1438]

24 great episodes, its what any great piece of work should strive for

[@11gingin]

your out of your mind

[@GeoNeilUK]

Seeing as you've reviewed Akira the movie, how about getting AVGN to review Akira? The Game. For the Amiga.

[@MacenW]

Thats a thing?

[@GeoNeilUK]

@@MacenW It certainly is and it's famously bad. I think there's a CD32 version out there, I'm surprised he didn't include it considering he went for the absolute worst of the CD32's library.

[@GeoNeilUK]

@OraOra Andrew Oh yes!

[@BroomPusher2024]

NoOoOoOo...

[@GeoNeilUK]

@@BroomPusher2024 YeEeEeEeEeEeEeSsSsSsSsSsSs......

[@hondamanvtec2894]

Kaaaaneeedaaaaaaaa Tetssuuuuuooooo

[@162krptonite]

Spongebob!

[@sternleiche]

Yamagataaaa

[@randalgraves6979]

Who?

[@thatonea-hole]

Thanks for summing up a good portion of the movie

[@KeyRogueDRL]

K9999: Kusanagi! Kusanagi: That's Mr. Kusanagi to you, punk! (Both were voiced by the same actors in King of Fighters 2002.)

[@kameha64]

Wow James talks about the kingdom hearts games & Akira! Thank You James I’m a huge fan of anime & animation & I hope you talk about the Neon Genisis evangelion but James you need to understand that Akira is a manga & they didn’t have a full budget to put all the manga in the film but it did have a budget of 8.5 million yen

[@bingsterc7621]

Kameha - Why are you surprised? James isn’t called the Nerd for nothing. 😎

[@kameha64]

@Bing Chen Good point if anything I’d really like to hear James opinion on the end of evangelion.

[@bingsterc7621]

Kameha - it’s funny that you mentioned Evangelion because I also asked James if they could review Death & Rebirth.

[@Red.Decimo]

I wouldn't mind Evangelion, I'd also like to hear his opinions on Gundam as well, But if i could put in an animated film for James to review, than Spirited Away is the way to go.

[@LyricalWrench]

@@Red.Decimo I agree, I can't even count how many times I watched that movie when I was younger. It would be great to see them talk about it

[@Genethagenius]

James needs to see “Vampire Hunter D” since he is a horror fan! That was my gateway to Anime back in the early 90’s and what led me to renting “Akira”!!!

[@justinratcliffe947]

genius2012 Hey me too.

[@RedSky-vf8bf]

I haven’t seen Ryan in a while- he looks really healthy, good for him! Keep it up! Probably feels a lot better.

[@ItsJustMilkISwear]

the angry anime nerd

[@ZeldaEd123]

@Negi Springfield But don't we have Sage for that?

[@SAM-ru4vx]

@@ZeldaEd123 Violence Jack broke him

[@ichida6659]

@Negi Springfield I don't think that Anime from the 80s or the 90s are bad ones. The bad ones are nowadays which James would never spend his time on.

[@ichida6659]

​@Negi Springfield Ikr. But that's not the era I'm talking about. I'm talking about nowadays, the era which many Anime were made just to sastify the fan-services. Look I know that they also did it in the past, but not that much. I mean nowadays it's hard to find a good Anime from the old eras like Perfect Blue, Paprika or Akira. Sure we can talk a little bit about something like Koe no Katachi or Kimi no Na Wa. They're really good actually, but the idea of spreading the messages I think that will make them become mediorce one day.

[@zdoggzero6595]

zeldaed123 sage IS the angry anime nerd lol

[@DominickPeluso]

I saw this when i was a boy and it made me a man

[@HappyCynic]

I saw this as a girl and it made me a man.

[@zdoggzero6595]

I watched jojo as a man and now I am Thor

[@liamhiggians6246]

Same

[@journeymanX]

i was expecting a cartoon,i left watching a masterpiece

[@HappyCynic]

@Mourning Star Says the guy with Thanos as his profile pic.

[@ardvarkdungbeetle9928]

Great video James! Looking forward to seeing some more anime films reviewed

[@rustyshackle8000]

This is my brother's favorite anime ever, if not one of his favorite movies. I was very proud of this because I recmmended Akira to him, knowing he hated most anime. I haven't felt so powerful in so long.

[@johnferguson1172]

James you're the leader of your nerd pack. You're an alpha nerd

[@stevebarnard8580]

Nah. An Alpha Nerd would have watched Akira back in the day and own all the Akira manga.

[@johnferguson1172]

@@stevebarnard8580 True dat, holmes

[@superbaconish]

I’m surprised no one mentioned or knew that the director of this movie is also the Mangaka. Or even the fact how trippy the freaking Soundtrack is. “Tetsuo” and “Dolls Polyphony “ bring chills down my spine

[@DrDolan2000]

Akira is awesome. Simple as that

[@AbareKillerFan-yo7pe]

This is one of the greatest films I have seen, you're lucky you reviewed this, James

[@MstrMatt]

Yes much love! Best new series from you guys ever!!

[@jaakkopontinen]

Finally. Yes, Akira and Jenova from FFVII. This is not discussed or realized enough. Both have affected my mind. Seeing Akira after Jenova, same vibe. Damn graphics and storytelling, why do they have to be so effective?

[@HarunoMaxwell6115]

Jaakko Pöntinen Don't forget about the girl dying!

[@DominiqueWillkins]

Yeah, when they mentioned i was like" oh yeah.."

[@kingeddy7966]

@@HarunoMaxwell6115 You mean the flower girl

[@jaakkopontinen]

Oh yeah, the diagonally desceding elevator underneath the olympic stadium in Akira versus the Junon military elevator in Junon, FFVII?

[@DominiqueWillkins]

Jaakko Pöntinen I thought the same thing haha

[@Trilobiterr]

Dude, this is insane. I literally was searching for a Cinemassacre review of Akira like, the day before yesterday. It must've been my precognition.

[@faultelectronica]

Brilliant, in particular the intro; Well funny 👍 Please keep em coming!!

[@darkop3191]

2019 is apparently the quite the year. Hold on to your butts.

[@XogeiD]

For Feature films? "Redline" comes really close to the same kind of production as Akira. Then you can go for modern productions like "Summer wars" or "your name". There's a lot of good anime features up to nowadays, but most are either high action tie-ins or original works, but very subdued and introspective.

[@WickedWicka]

Recently watched Redline, and it's amazing. Super Eyepatch Wolf covered it, but it could still use some more love.

[@check1240]

Redline is definitely the closest in terms of quality of animation

[@moosemaimer]

Katsuhiro Otomo also wrote the screenplay for a modern adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's "Metropolis," based on Fritz Lang's 1927 film, and that looked pretty amazing.

[@KazuyaMithra]

Ehhh I wouldn't say a lot, hundreds of shows come out nowadays and most people hype them up and forget the majority of them in less than a year. High end productions in the vein of Akira are more of a commodity now, especially since most of them take place in high school -_-

[@Madbandit77]

@@moosemaimer I saw it in 2002 when it premiered in the US. Brilliant work. The character designs reminded me of the Fleischer Bros who worked on the Popeye cartoons in the 1930s.

[@Sonic23rd]

So glad to see Ryan on here!

[@Andy-ly2li]

I love akira. This was my introduction to anime. I was about 10 years late to it (1999) but i remember it being revolutionary for media here and changed the way anime happened.

[@shivasthong4924]

Seeing Cinemassacre reviewing anime, what reality did I step into?

[@butcherax]

Number 196, which one are you from?

[@ozzcoremidmx8287]

Executive Producer Fred Fuchs I see what you did there lmao

[@28Pluto]

Have you never heard about Fred Fuchs? It's a long running joke with the Nerd.

[@BubblegumCrash332]

Akira was released in theaters in the US cities. NY,LA ,etc. My cousins in Brooklyn saw posters for it all over the city. That’s how I found out about it.

[@williamdufort176]

Great to see Ryan again!

[@ninjapirate47]

Cam Clarke. Legend. There are 2 dubs of Akira. Cam Clarke's being the older. The japanese cast were very specifically chosen from what i understand.

[@khemikora]

I'm so pleased a Cyber City clip got snuck in there. My favourite Manga film series.

[@ninjanizzle]

14:01

[@Deadcrows1981]

I needed to learn how to make hard core crack for self use, skill share showed me an in depth step by step way to do just that! Thank you Skill Share!

[@tedcrilly1]

little bit of Cyber City chucked in there, nice. Love the opening title music for that one!

[@noisetv1863]

Satoshi Kon (paprika, perfect blue, tokyo godfathers) actually worked on the Akira manga as an assistant

[@DaRealJGRIF]

Satoshi kon was a genius man

[@dunderhanh]

Tokyo Godfathers is such a good tragic comedy!!!

[@BrickTamlandOfficial]

is it just me or is ryan trying to do an awesome al borland cosplay?

[@S_Evenwar]

Or Howard from Big Bang Theory

[@doomer4life2]

I don't think so Tim.

[@demonicsweaters]

'actual rods and cones' haha, that was the best ad intro ever

[@notoriousshizzane2696]

Bring back this intro.. I smile every time I hear Kieran sing that "Ooooo... Yea"

[@salvadordesouza9697]

Ok this is epic

[@dickcheesehead9714]

Facts don't care about your anime.

[@bla5tmya554]

I thought Ryan was a bearded Howard Wolowitz from BBT

[@83stimpy]

I don't think so, Tim!

[@trustme2001]

They don't make anime like that anymore and it makes me sad. It was truly art in motion.

[@jk770415]

We still continuously have evangelion and the next one is coming soon.

[@The_Blue_Otaku]

@@jk770415 I think he was talking about traditional cel animation when he said "They don't make anime like that anymore"

[@RetroCynical]

Akira is awesome but it only tells roughly half of the story, sucks they never made another anime to follow the manga, especially with how successful it was. Tetsuo basically becomes Akira's henchman and a lot of other stuff happens that wasn't included in the anime. BTW The original English dub had Cam Clarke (Leonardo) the modern dub does not.

[@emmastrange5557]

Wasn't Tetsuo just exploiting Akira for his own means?

[@davidbeelze]

They announced that they are going to make an anime tv series of Akira

[@Fadingxx]

The anime that got me into anime. A friend had it on VHS, and let me borrow it. I loved it as a kid. DBZ, Kenshin, Gundam Wing, and the other Toonami block solidified me as an anime fan. Then the internet made it more accessible. But Akira is what started it for me. So I have a soft spot for it.

[@ninjanizzle]

the movie is great but read the manga if u want the full story, its far better.

[@SakuraAvalon]

Ha! A-Ko was in that Akira commercial.

[@worsel555]

One of my personal favorite movies, I picked up the remastered DVD a couple years back. So many classic anime references and jokes throughout and the animation budget must have been insane with how fluid everything looks.

[@SakuraAvalon]

Ken Williams Sounds awesome. Gotta love anime movies, the bigger budget and time really allows for amazing animation.

[@capnblargles6876]

A-ko is so good. Underrated for sure.

[@blockyoxwinkle5829]

I never knew how much I needed Rental Reviews in my life.